Brethren,

We covet your prayers as we make a push in the area schools with the Bible History CD’s and Bible Correspondence Courses. There are 100,000 CD’s arriving in Santiago tomorrow and they will be dispersed throughout various parts of Chile. Please pray that they will clear customs speedily. I will not be involved in the process, nevertheless we ask you to pray.  We are going to pick up 10,000 with the hopes of getting a good portion out here in this region. We also have plans for Pastor Javier Flores in Santiago and Pastor Carlos Cifuentes in the south. Please pray as we get these out during the month of December.

We will be in touch as we know more this week!

Thank you,

Bro. Castner

Michelle finished the Salvation Bible study with Elsa on Tuesday and Elsa got saved that same night! She just came by this morning to share her testimony. Rejoice with us! Continue to pray for Francisco her husband to be saved! I believe he is very close!

Bro. Castner

Sent from my iPhone

We have been winding down on our Salvation Bible studies at Coliumo Alto. In fact, my last two lessons were on Repentance and Faith. Yesterday, Bro. Don Heinz and wife Amy, along with Bro. James Pittman and wife Jennifer paid us a visit here in Tome. Bro. Pittman is out of Calvary Baptist Church in Knobnoster, MO and is here seeking God’s will on his life and ministry as he prepares for the mission field. So, I asked Bro. Pittman to preach to the people last night and he preached on having Peace with God and receiving the Peace of God. In the message he shared in part his testimony of salvation and also preached on Repentance and Faith. I was lead of the Lord to extend an invitation and both Gloria Concha and Griselda Ortiz came forward and I was able to deal with them again and they both repented and received the Lord off in the kitchen area. We are rejoicing as God continues to work in hearts as we preach the Gospel.

We will be heading out and doing some door to door visitation in the new housing area in Dichtato. Pray as we go this afternoon. The Heinzes and the Pittmans will be heading back tonight as I understand. We ask your prayers for their trip as well and for God’s will to be done in the Pittman’s lives!

We want to praise the Lord for our first known conversion here in Tome. Jaime stayed after the lesson last night and told me he wanted to talk to me for weeks now because he knew he needed to be saved and that the Lord was calling him to salvation! He is my right hand man in Recinto Estacion, and has helped gather the people together from the beginning. He is always there to load and unload the car as well! Thank for all your prayers and support for the work here. It may indeed be Harvest time here in Tome!

Garry A. Castner
Missionary in Chile
Lehigh Valley Baptist Church

After moving to Tome a little over a week ago we have started up out Bible studies after have missed 3 weeks because of my Dad's hospitalization and our preparing for out 400 km. move. Nevertheless we have had several good meetings. Many are committed to doing the correspondence courses and coming to hear me teach on the Gospel. We are encouraged in the work! Please pray as we begin selecting disciples to train for future ministry. We have enough work here to be busy day and night in teaching and preaching! We need the Lord's guidance in all of this!
I still have to travel back to Temuco once a week to care for my Dad until he gets out of the hospital. I thank the Lord for the Heinzes who have cared for my Dad in my absence!

Garry A. Castner
Missionary in Chile
Lehigh Valley Baptist Church

Yesterday we helped the Castner's pack up the last of there things, clean the house, and head out to Tomé. They will be unloading today. Please pray for strength for them. It has been a LOT of work. Now they will have to deal with some details setting up the new house. It is a blessing to hear that some of the people they are ministering to will be able to help them unload.

We held our 2 Bible studies last night in Tome with 2 different groups of fishermen and their families. We had a good response in both places and we were able to sign up 5 new students for the Gospel of John study, we collected 13 finished John studies and 2 finished Romans studies. Our focus in all of our Bible studies are to teach Gospel truths using the scripture diagram method. We believe it to be an effective method of teaching the plan of salvation. We are now focusing on the work of Christ on the cross, using of course the studies on John 1:29, 2 Cor.5:21, Jn.5:31, etc. Please pray as we move into Repentance and Faith! We have just 2 weeks until our move. Wow, it’s overwhelming sometimes J.

Garry A. Castner

Missionary in Chile

Lehigh Valley Baptist Church

We visited one of our Refuge Camps in Coliumo after our 5 hour drive in. We had about 35 in the meeting and 5 had the John study done so we gave them Bibles and the Romans study. We had 15 Finish the Romans study and 13 new students sign up. We will stay through tomorrow before heading back to Villarrica on Wednesday. We appreciate all your prayers and support!

Garry A. Castner
Missionary in Chile
Lehigh Valley Baptist Church

On February 27, 2010 a major Earthquake shook all of Chile, one way or another, and lives have not been the same ever since! Our lives have experienced a major change as well, especially as we became focused on those that have been directly affected by the earthquake. We have been traveling every week since the earthquake struck and the Lord has been working in a special way in the lives of those that we are ministering to. The response has been unusual to say the least and we feel that the Lord would have us move to Tome (toe may), Chile until He shows us different. We already have rented our house here in Villarrica and we were planning on a full year furlough back to the States, but then the earthquake came. We cannot deny that the Lord is at work in a special way and someone needs to be there to disciple men for future ministry. You can see by following our blog that God has been working in men’s lives in a special way and that will be our focus in ministry. We felt it necessary to rent a house in Tome to be able to be in the middle of the place where God is working. This past trip we found a house to rent, which in itself was only by the hand of God, since no houses are really available for rent with all the damage and needs of the area. On Feb. 27, we were able to ordain Bro. Carlos Cifuentes to the pastoral ministry in Loncoche, so we are now free to make this move and ministry change for the moment. We certainly covet your prayers as we move forward by faith! It has been a real adventure of faith so far and we are thoroughly enjoying it! The end results are in God’s hands as well!

Garry A. Castner

Missionary in Chile

Lehigh Valley Baptist Church